Past Projects
Witmer Park
Park Renovations
Witmer Park phase II was completed in 2022, boasting a new playground, shelter and restroom facility. These updates provided much-needed amenities for those enjoying the new floating fishing pier, shelters and looping path system. These facilities will allow park visitors to explore, play and relax, for as long as they’d like.
LED Screen
Portable Video Screen
You may have noticed an upgrade in technology the last time you attended Free Flix in the Park! Thanks to funding from the Prairie Meadows Community Betterment Grant, park supporters and the City of DM, a new LED portable video screen was added to the parks and rec tool kit! The latest LED technology makes it possible to view the screen during daylight which has been a huge asset to existing programming.
McRae Park
Park Renovations
MacRae Park was purchased by the city in 1897. Renovations to the park began in 2017 and the final phase of improvements were completed in 2022. We are grateful for the generous support of our many park stewards, local businesses and neighbors in reimagining this space into a destination park in Des Moines with an iconic overlook, natural playscape, boardwalk and more. Read about the renovations here.
Riverview Park
Concert Venue and Playground
Riverview Park was a multi-phase renovation project that began in 2014 with a public-private partnership between the City of Des Moines and the Parks Area Foundation. Riverview Park includes an outdoor concert stage, custom playground, donor/history plaza, walking loop, and historical lighting.
Woodland Cemetery Tours
Video History Tour with QR codes
Cemetery historian/researcher/educator and volunteer extraordinaire Archie Cook shared his vast wealth of knowledge about Woodland Cemetery during a 2 ½ hour walking tour. The stories told by the monuments and headstones combine to form the history of our city as it has passed through wars, epidemics, natural disasters as well as the normal course of birth, life, and death. Passing through the narrow drives of the cemetery, you’ll see stone etchings of the names of past residents who helped build Des Moines. Names like Savery, Kenworthy, Ingersoll, Hubbell, Kaplan, Perkins, Teachout, Fleur, Redhead, Polk, and Sherman, which are now part of everyday life in our streets, parks, schools, and buildings. We encourage you to visit Woodland Cemetery and check out the History Quest or watch the videos online at bit.ly/woodlandhistoryquestplaylist
5th Street Bridge
Bridge Renovation
The 5th Street Bridge (aka Jackson St Bridge) was closed for safety reasons in 2013 — and slated for demolition — before a band of residents, local businesses and philanthropists formed the Friends of Jackson Bridge and raised $2.3 million to save it. The bridge reopened in the fall 2016 to pedestrians and cyclists. It is part of the Meredith Trail that connects Gray's Lake and downtown Des Moines.
Woodland Cemetery Restoration
Monument Restoration
Woodland Cemetery holds memories and stories of 80,000 buried within this unique location. Over the years, dirt, lichens, mold, and mildew have taken a toll on the stones and some that are porous (sandstone and limestone) have broken them down. Maintenance of stones typically is the responsibility of the owner but in this cemetery, many of the families have moved away or are long since passed. A generous gift from the community is allowing staff, contractors, and volunteers to restore stones and protect the memories and history within this cemetery. The first phase of the project was lifting, straightening, and securing stones that have shifted over time. Then, volunteers and staff will work together in small groups to clean the stones.
E 911 Trail Markers
Updated trail signs with graphic identities
The Friends of Des Moines Parks, the Parks and Recreation Department, and Project 7, a local graphic design firm, have partnered up to create graphic identities for the City’s most iconic trail segments. These identities will help trail users better understand where they are on the city’s trail system by graphically representing trail segments throughout the system. Each identity will be placed on Emergency 911 signage which allows first responders to quickly navigate and find people who are in a distressed situations on the trail system. The signs will be placed every quarter mile to help inform trail users of where they are and create a sense of identity to the City of Des Moines Trail system. Nine unique identities have been implemented with the Karras-Kaul connector coming onboard soon!
Cohen Park
Park Renovations
The Friends of Des Moines Parks helped bring new and exciting types of outdoor recreation to Cohen Park near Downtown Des Moines. The park amenities include outdoor bouldering and climbing walls along with an interactive ball wall called Sutu. Your support helped provide unique recreation opportunities that typically require a gym membership or fee-for-use at a private organization - making their free, public use critical in the downtown urban core.
Evelyn K. Davis Park
Park Renovations
Evelyn K. Davis Park serves over 6,000 neighbors and many more visitors with activities & wide range of amenities. The park is home to the Summer City Hoops League, Futsal Tournaments, Youth Programs, pick up games, open shelters, baseball field, inclusive playground equipment, open space and a spray ground. The basketball courts see heavy use throughout the year and have not been resurfaced since 2013. The Friends were excited to support this much needed improvement, complete with a mural designed by local artist, Jill Wells! Read more HERE.
Fleur Drive Medians
Beautification
With support from the Ruan Family Foundation, all 17 planters along the Fleur Drive corridor will be refurbished with new irrigation and drainage systems to make ongoing maintenance easier and limit disturbance to traffic flow. Construction of the remaining planters will finalized in 2024.
